The Perfect Garlic Parmesan Rice Recipe for Dinner Tonight
Creamy, comforting garlic parmesan rice creates a symphony of flavors that dance across your plate.
Cheese lovers adore this simple yet elegant side dish packed with rich, aromatic goodness.
The robust combination of garlic and parmesan delivers a delightful punch of umami that transforms ordinary rice into something extraordinary.
Fragrant garlic sizzles gently in butter, releasing its warm, inviting essence throughout the grains.
Freshly grated parmesan cheese melts seamlessly, coating each rice kernel with a luxurious, velvety texture.
Every forkful promises a perfect balance of savory notes and creamy satisfaction.
This recipe brings restaurant-quality magic right to your dinner table, ready to elevate any meal from mundane to magnificent.
Garlic Parmesan Rice Ingredient Highlights
Base Ingredients:Liquid Ingredients:Finishing Ingredients:Garlic Parmesan Rice – How to Make It
Step 1: Sauté Aromatic Garlic
Grab a saucepan and melt butter over medium heat.
Toss in minced garlic, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
The kitchen will fill with a mouthwatering aroma as the garlic turns golden and fragrant.
Step 2: Toast Rice Grains
Add rice to the buttery garlic mixture.
Stir and let the grains toast for about a minute.
This technique releases a delightful nutty flavor and ensures each grain stays perfectly separated.
Step 3: Create Liquid Magic
Pour in the following ingredients:Gently stir everything together and bring the mixture to a soft simmer.
Watch as the liquid begins to blend with the rice, promising a creamy texture.
Step 4: Low and Slow Cooking
Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and let the rice cook undisturbed for 18-20 minutes.
Resist the urge to peek too often!
Check near the end to ensure rice is tender and most liquid is absorbed.
Step 5: Finish with Cheesy Goodness
Remove from heat and fluff rice with a fork.
Sprinkle in:Stir gently, allowing the residual heat to melt the cheese and distribute flavors throughout the rice.
Serve immediately and enjoy your luxurious side dish!
Garlic Parmesan Rice Cooking Advice
Saving & Reheating Garlic Parmesan Rice
Dishes That Match Garlic Parmesan Rice
Custom Styles for Garlic Parmesan Rice
FAQs
Toasting the garlic in butter helps release its rich, aromatic compounds without burning, creating a deep and nuanced flavor that infuses the entire dish with a robust garlic taste.
Toasting rice creates a light golden color and develops a nutty, slightly caramelized flavor that enhances the overall taste profile of the dish and helps prevent the rice from becoming mushy.
The rice is done when it’s tender but still has a slight bite, and most of the liquid has been absorbed. You should be able to fluff the rice with a fork and see that the grains are separate and not clumped together.
Absolutely! While Parmesan adds a sharp, salty flavor, you can experiment with other hard cheeses like Pecorino Romano. Similarly, if parsley isn’t your favorite, you can swap it with chives or basil for a different herbal note.
What to Expect from Garlic Parmesan Rice
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Garlic Parmesan Rice Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Elevate weeknight dinners with this garlic parmesan rice, a creamy comfort dish blending savory cheese and aromatic garlic. Silky grains meld with rich parmesan, creating a delectable side that brings restaurant-quality flavor straight to your kitchen.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 8 ounces (240 ml) chicken broth
- 8 ounces (240 ml) whole milk
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Flavor Enhancers:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Seasonings:
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until it begins to foam. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30-45 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until fragrant and just lightly golden.
- Introduce uncooked rice to the pan, stirring thoroughly to coat each grain with butter and garlic. Toast the rice for approximately 1 minute, allowing it to develop a subtle nutty aroma.
- Pour chicken broth, milk, salt, and pepper into the saucepan. Gently mix ingredients until evenly combined, ensuring no dry rice remains at the bottom.
- Bring the mixture to a soft simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and allow rice to cook undisturbed for 18-20 minutes.
- After cooking time elapses, remove lid and check rice texture. Liquid should be mostly absorbed and rice tender but not mushy.
- Remove pan from heat and fluff rice with a fork to separate grains. Immediately fold in freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, letting residual heat melt the cheese.
- Let rice rest for 2-3 minutes before serving to allow flavors to fully integrate and cheese to melt completely.
Notes
- Toast rice carefully to enhance nutty flavors and prevent clumping, ensuring each grain separates beautifully during cooking.
- Select fresh garlic and avoid burning by watching the pan closely, removing from heat if it starts to darken too quickly.
- Substitute dairy milk with unsweetened almond or oat milk to make the recipe more diet-friendly for lactose-intolerant or vegan guests.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 304
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 445 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 42 mg
Olivia Bennett
Recipe Developer & Culinary Educator
Expertise
Education
Schoolcraft College
With an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts from Schoolcraft College and a natural knack for teaching, Olivia Bennett’s all about making home cooking feel possible, even on your busiest day.
Her thing? Recipes that are budget-friendly, season-forward, and full of Southern warmth. Whether it’s a roasted veggie bowl or a five-ingredient skillet bake, Olivia makes sure it’s simple, satisfying, and something you’ll want to make again tomorrow.
When she’s not shooting step-by-step videos or testing spice blends, she’s out foraging, flipping through old cookbooks, or throwing laid-back dinner parties with a BYO-mason-jar theme.